Yes, we have sinned.
Yes, we deserve punishment.
Yes, there will be punishment.

It’s true. We are all sinners. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We don’t need anyone to tell us that we’re not perfect. We’ve all made mistakes. And many of us have felt guilty for those mistakes. And, those mistakes must be punished. According to God’s righteous requirements, all sin must be punished.

If we stopped right now, this message would not be very encouraging. All have sinned and all sin must be punished. But thankfully, that’s not the end of the story.

By God’s wisdom and glorious plan, he did punish sin. All sin. Jesus was afflicted, bruised, beaten and punished for our sins. Reads these words from Isaiah 53:

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him… (v4-7, 10a)

Did you catch that? “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” All of our punishment was put on Christ. This punishment “pleased the Lord”. Why was God pleased to afflict Christ? So that you would be free to come to the Father completely free from sin in your time of need (Hebrews 4:!6).

What’s left for us? Grace!

When you start to think that your anxiety, fear and panic attacks are the result of God’s punishment, you must renew your mind to know that God is not punishing you. There is no punishment left for you. All punishment was placed upon Christ.

God is for you. He is fighting on your behalf. He desires for you to be free more than you do. Invite God into your battle and trust that he is with you!

Prayer: Father, help me renew my mind to know that you are with me, not against me. Reveal to me your grace!

For years, I was convinced that these episodes of fear were God’s way of punishing me. After all, I deserved it. I was living an unholy life, walking in my own ways, doing my own thing. Surely, this was God’s punishment.

Over the years, I began learning about the punishment of God. You see, punishment has to do with a penalty. Once a violation has been made, there’s a penalty for that violation. When you are punished, you’re receiving the penalty for your violation.

“But Russell, I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life. I probably deserve to be punished.” Yes, I know. I deserve punishment as well. The Bible says that we are all sinners, and that all of us have turned away from God (Romans 3:23). So yes, we all deserve punishment.

But listen carefully to the next two verses in Romans 3, “Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us” (verses 24-25a).

If you’ve committed your life to Jesus Christ, then you are free from the punishment of sin. You are free from the penalty of your wrongdoing. God has declared you “Not Guilty”. That’s God’s promise to you, and what a wonderful promise!

I believe most people’s fears are based on an incorrect understanding of punishment. Here’s what the Bible says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). Let me rephrase that in my own words: “God loves you so much that he has released you from the punishment of your sins through Jesus Christ. There is no need to fear God’s punishment for those who are in Christ.”

“But Russell,” you may respond, “I received Jesus into my heart. Yet, I still fear.”

I know. It’s frustrating. When I became a Christian, and I still experienced episodes of fear. But here’s what I learned from the Bible about these hard times: “Endure hardship as discipline. God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness” (Hebrews 7a, 10b). Today, years later, after being trained by this discipline, I am now free from these crippling panic attacks.

Discipline is not the same as punishment. Discipline has a good, redemptive purpose. Yes, it’s painful. Yes, it hurts. Yes, I wanted it to stop. But, the purpose of discipline is to teach us. Hebrews 12:11 confirms this: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Are you being trained by your hardships? Are you learning anything from these difficult circumstances? Or, have you chosen to step back into your comfortable world of victim-ness, where it’s easier to blame others rather than do something yourself?

Take time to carefully listen to his discipline of the Lord, because God promises a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who are trained by it. Step out courageously into God’s training. Seek the Lord and spend time with him. Learn from your pain. Dig deep into the truths of the Bible and carefully obey the instructions of the Lord. Remember, God disciplines those he loves.

Prayer: Father, first and foremost, I declare that I’m a sinner who deserves punishment. I’ve done many wrong things in my life. I turn from those things now. I choose to believe in Jesus Christ, who has taking upon himself my punishment. I receive Christ as my Lord. Father, help me through this time of discipline. I want to be trained quickly. Strengthen me and help me that I may walk in this harvest of peace and righteousness. I ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.